Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday in a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that India and Iran should address their trade imbalance, which is tilting in the favour of Iran.
The two heads of the government were talking in a meet convened on the eve of the 26th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit. They discussed on several issues including bilateral trade ties, cultural ties and nuclear issues.
During their one hour long meeting, Manmohan Singh asked Ahmadinejad to increase imports from India especially the imports of wheat.
At $15 billion, two-way trade between the two countries is heavily tilted in favour of Iran, which exports goods, mainly oil, worth $12.5 billion and imports goods worth only $2.5 billion.
They discussed to developed their trilateral economic and trade ties with Afghanistan as they were seeking to develop the Chahbahar port as the gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
In this regard, the official source said, both leaders welcomed the trilateral meeting held between Afghanistan, India and Iran on August 26, and hoped that concrete results would emerge from the deliberations of the Joint Working Group of experts from the three countries set up as a result of the trilateral meeting.
Chahbahar Port can serve as an important gateway for trade and transit to Afghanistan and Central Asia, if it is developed.
According to media reports, on the question of India's nuclear programme, Manmohan Singh expressed hope that Iran would work within the parameters of the P5+1 dialogue and hoped the recent negotiations would yield positive results in the interest of peace and security in the region.
Iran hopes to play a major role in the region once US troops leave in 2014, and India and Iran have collaborated in the past with regard to politics in Afghanistan.
The world, especially the United States was watching this meeting between Dr Manmohan Singh and President Ahmadinejad with keen interest to see the body language of the two leaders. There was a warm handshake, but no hugs, a two hand salute when bidding adieu to Dr. Singh, and the Iranian President had made clear that the ties were warm, but not over effusive between the two countries.
Dr. Singh too sent a message back home, and to the world community that he did would not succumb to American pressure. He did not make a brief stop in Tehran like the Egyptian President did just for attending the summit. Instead, he spent three full days in Tehran, which by the Prime Minister's standards is a very long stay in any country.
It is also a signal to his detractors back home that his administration will not buckle under US pressure. Iran is an important part of India's foreign policy and that it is not being ignored or sidelined by this administration.
Both leaders also discussed the forthcoming foreign ministers-level meeting between the two countries that Iran will be hosting in November. The Indian Prime Minister thanked the Iranian President for granting approval for an Indian cultural centre in Tehran which would be operationalised as early as possible, said the official.
President Ahmadinejad and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh exchanged views on developments in Afghanistan, Syria and West Asia, and emphasized the need for international cooperation to effectively combat the scourge of terrorism, said the official.
Much the same views were expressed during Manmohan Singh's 40-minute meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with both leaders underlining the close, vibrant and cultural links between the two countries.
--With Agencies Inputs--
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